A New World
by badwolf1
Summary: He left them all. Some say he died, some he say he just vanished. Cindy wants to know why.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

A/N: I apologise to anyone who had been following my previous story Endgame. I did intend to finish it, but I had just had too much to do at the time; and when I did come back to it I just didn't have the enthusiasm anymore for that story. This isn't the start of a new series though; so I intend to have this finished within a couple of months at the most. Enjoy, and please review.

_Retroville, 31/5/2009._

_The explosion could be witnessed from several miles away. Later those unfortunate enough to have seen the blast would question how it could be that anything could have ever survived. Interestingly the explosion didn't injure any passer-by's at the time, the police would theorise that it had been a controlled blast; designed to be more spectacle than destruction. Many would advocate the theory as a way of saying that there had to be a survivor, that if it had indeed been a controlled blast then he surely would have taken precautions. An escape pod would was the most recurring thought. But if indeed the blast had been engineered it was clear something went wrong for him. That day James Isaac Neutron vanished._

_A huge search was conducted, the likes of which had never been seen before; all over the globe satellites were deployed to look for his likeness; NASA commissioned a rocket to ensure he hadn't gone into space again. He was never found. Eventually the authorities had no choice but to declare Jimmy dead. Some people were devastated, simply never recovering. Judy Neutron died a few years after burying her only child, Hugh moved away from the memories. Others, like Cindy Vortex; mourned, then moved on. Time passed, and though the conspiracy theories continued to mount about his survival; more and more people started to believe it had been a freak accident. That finally he had pushed himself too far; his whole body simply vaporised in the explosion._

Retroville, 24/9/2022

His feet stung with pain as he ran thorough streets and alleys; ignoring the tiny shards of glass embedded in his body; none were life threatening, although they were crushed glass had cut open the soles of his feet. Still he pushed on, eyes watering; he felt as though he had emerged from the womb once more; every sensation somehow new; no time to familiarise himself with the basics now; he had to lose the people tracking him.

Climbing over a wall he dropped down to the other side and kept on running, sprinting as fast as his worn muscles would let him. When he could no longer hear the footsteps from behind of him he stopped; and promptly collapsed. The adrenaline on which he had been running was gone. All at once his entire body had become limp, the agony instantly setting in from having done too much too quickly. It was after all the first time he could remember using his muscles in thirteen years; an intelligence as brilliant as his should have concluded quicker that the course of action he had taken was not the brightest.

Still what was done was done, there was no going back now. After resting a while he began to perform stretches, simple movements in order to get used to it all again. Making sure he could move normally, he walked over to a shop window and looked at himself in the shop window. His face had matured, the rest of his body had caught up with the size of his head; no longer making it as obviously oversized as before. It was obvious he had aged everyday of the missing years; but there was only one question on Jimmy's mind as he stared at his reflection. Why could he not remember anything about the last thirteen years of his life?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One: 2022**

Retroville, 24/09/2022:

"No sir, we haven't located him yet." The scene was one of total devastation, glass was all over the floor; fluid spilling out of the stasis tube which had been completely broken. Standing beside the destroyed capsule was James Tarkin, chief of the security of Quietus Industries, he was reporting back to his superior on their escaped prisoner. "I'll unplug some more men to track him immediately." He gestured to two white-coated men, who nodded and left the room. After listening to more instructions through his headset, he mumbled a few words of agreement and disconnected the call. Staring around the room he silently cursed Jimmy Neutron, and vowed to ensure his capture.

Jimmy decided to make a move, he couldn't stay in one place for too long if he was being hunted down. Standing slowly, to ensure he didn't get a head rush; he decided to take in all of his surroundings for the first time to break loose. Directly opposite him were a huge series of billboards illuminating the night sky, each of them advertising _Quietus Industries. _Jimmy took note, storing it in case it was important for later. Using the wall he was standing against for support, he made his way to the bottom of the street; then he decided to make his first course of action to figuring out what exactly was happening to him. Tapping into his VOX powered watch, still attached to his wrist as it had always been, he scanned for life forms. After waiting a few moments the watch projected a 3D map, and he began to follow it. He was on his way to finding Cindy.

_Retroville, 4/6/2009_

_It had been five days since Jimmy's disappearance, and for Cindy it had been especially hard. Her relationship with Jimmy had been complicated, even more so due to the two of them becoming romantically involved a few months before the explosion. But there had been the incident. A week before the explosion, Jimmy had been behaving strangely. She had meant to talk to him, but before she had the chance the explosion had occurred. Now she was worried that she'd never get the chance to talk to him again, that she'd never again see that large head; those devastating blue eyes that gazed into her soul. _

_She looked at herself in the mirror, noting how haggard she had become. Ever since what had happened before the explosion, she had been lacking sleep; and she had been constantly crying. From downstairs she heard her Mother calling her, but she ignored it. She could wait, right now Cindy needed to be alone._

Retroville, 24/09/2022

"I'm unplugging, goodnight everyone." Cindy disconnected from the system, and then leant back in her armchair. She had come a long way from the distraught teenager she had been thirteen years before; now she was taller, with long blond hair. She didn't keep in a ponytail anymore, she had ditched that look long ago. It was full of memories for her, and not ones she particularly wanted to remember. Standing up, she walked into the sitting room; to find someone already sat in an armchair.

"Hello Cindy." Switching on the light Jimmy smiled at her, leaving Cindy completely speechless.

"It can't be." She whispered it more to himself, but there he was all the same. He had aged, but it was him all the same.

"It's me Cindy, Jimmy." He stepped towards her, staring her right in the eyes. She shook her head and turned away, unable to believe it.

"It can't be you. We buried you, you're dead Jimmy." He grimaced, unable to accept it.

"Look Cindy, I don't know how but this is me. I need your help." She still didn't turn her around, instead catching sight of her reflection. Staring back at her was the awkward teenage girl again, ponytail and all, those dead eyes bleeding tears from so many hours. And suddenly she felt it: the anger. If this was Jimmy then he owed her so much, he had no right to simply swan in and act like he hadn't hurt her.

"My help? You want my help?" She turned on him, fire in her eyes; "after what you did to me? You disappear for thirteen years? You break my heart and expect me to just turn around and forgive you? You can forget it Jimmy!" Her voice slowly escalated, until she was screaming in his face. "Typical Jimmy Neutron, you think you can just break up with me; fake your own death, then come back here like nothing ever happened." Her tone was bitter now.

"Break up with you?" Jimmy felt confused.

"That's right genius. The week before the explosion, you broke my heart James Isaac Neutron."

_Retroville, 25/05/2009_

"_It's over Cindy." Jimmy stated matter-of-factly. He looked at her over the rim of his glass._

"_But…" Cindy couldn't speak, but before she could find the words; Jimmy stood up abruptly and walked away. She wouldn't seem him again for thirteen years._


End file.
